Allahabad HC Receives Plea for Revenue Survey of Mosque Amid Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Dispute

Background

The Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah dispute is a long-standing legal and religious conflict over a 13.37-acre land in Mathura, where the Hindu devotees believe Lord Krishna was born. The land is currently occupied by the Shahi Idgah mosque, which was allegedly built by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb after demolishing a Hindu temple in 1670 . The Hindu petitioners have filed a suit in the Allahabad High Court, seeking the removal of the mosque and the restoration of the temple.

Latest Development

On January 16, 2024, a plea was moved in the Allahabad High Court by advocates Vishnu Shankar Jain and Prabhash Pandey, seeking the appointment of a revenue surveyor to inspect the premises of the Shahi Idgah mosque and ascertain its actual location. The plea was taken on record by Justice Mayank Kumar Jain, who is also hearing a batch of cases pertaining to the dispute. The matter will come up for hearing on January 30.

The plea argues that the survey is necessary to determine whether the mosque falls within the disputed 13.37-acre land or outside it. The plea also challenges the validity of a compromise agreement dated October 12, 1968, between the Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan, a temple management authority, and the Trust Shahi Masjid Idgah, which allowed both parties to coexist peacefully on the land . The plea claims that the agreement was illegal and void as the temple authority had no right over the property.

Previous Orders

The latest plea follows a Supreme Court order on January 14, 2024, staying the execution of a High Court directive to appoint a three-member commissioner team to survey the mosque . The High Court had allowed the application for the survey on December 14, 2023, but the Waqf Board and the mosque committee had challenged it in the apex court . The Supreme Court had observed that the survey order was premature and could affect the communal harmony in the country.